 "Photo: Jessie Burche")
After a long, arduous and confusing journey to Bishop Spencer Place, I reached the Westport Room where Thomas Kennedy and Gladys Swan read some of their written pieces.
Swan and Kennedy managed to make accusations of molestation and insanity entertaining. What more could I ask for?
Kennedy is an American who has been living in Denmark for years. He writes fiction and nonfiction. He is best known for a series entitled "The Copenhagen Quartet."
Each of the four books in the "Quartet" is written in a different style. Kennedy read two different works during the presentation.
The first piece Kennedy read was an excerpt from his book "Danish Fall" about a divorced man named Harold. Harold is apparently a "woman adorer," which is why he is divorced.
Harold goes to get his daughters from his ex-wife's house but is accused of molesting them, which he didn't. In the midst of confusion and accusation he is attacked by his ex-father-in-law, who smashes Harold's pinky in the door. Twice.
When Harold goes to the hospital for his broken pinky and split nail, he is able to ascertain, even through his pain, that his nurse is not wearing a bra. What a guy, right?
Kennedy read in what sounded like a Brooklyn accent and gave his characters their own voices. His stories don't blend together, but he makes each word stand out.
Gladys Swan read in between Kennedy's two pieces. Her story was from her book "A Garden Amid Fires." She wrote a piece about a broke painter who works in an art gallery. His boss asks him to paint 12 copies of a still-life. The problem is, the painter hates this still-life.
The story seemed to be building toward a moral ending where the painter realizes he shouldn't ever paint just to earn money, but should paint because it is part of an artistic vision.
But there is a surprising turn of events when, in the end, the painter goes insane from doing these paintings. This comes after his boss asks him to paint a second set of 12 copies of this still-life. The painter ends up near-naked in the gallery seeing monkeys, copulating humans and melting clocks.
Kennedy's last piece was from his nonfiction book "The Literary Traveler," which he co-wrote with Walter Cummins. It was another amusing story: this time it was about the Copenhagen Poetry Day.
Few UMKC students attend these readings. I don't write creatively, but these events are inspiring, and I found an author I would like to read in Kennedy. Go to some of these readings and you may find someone to inspire you to read.
jburche@unews.com
